2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Truck Feels really loose!

[TPotter]

HELP!!!!! I recently had an alignment and new tires installed. When I headed home my truck didn't seem the same, it feels really loose in the rear like a sway bar is missing. So I go back to the tire store and make them give me a new set of tires, Goodyear a t's. The tires are load range E so that shouldnt be the problem. Well the new set of tires didn't help either, so I am thinking maybe the alignments is off or something. I take it back to the shop the guy, (who I always use) checks it and says every thing is in alignmet, but you do have a little loose place up front A arm or something like that. Well, it just seems funny that it all of a sudden started doing this. I then hooked up to my 30' 5th wheel and could barley hold the thing in the road. Do you guys have any idea what could be going on???

 

[LindseyD]

Check your track bar, they are notorious for play at the ball joint. I put a kit in mine made by a guy in SD named lindstad, I checked the link I had for him and it's dead. The kit replaced the nylon ball with a steel one and provided for adjusting the backlash in the joint. Another one that I have seen is from a guy in CO, check the Mr. Truck website, he has a link. The other thing I did which really tightened things up was a stabilizer from these guys www.solidsteel.ca/ it supports the end of the steering shaft where the pitman arm goes on, HUGE improvement. They are also making a bracket to replace the track bar with a newer one that doesn't have a weal ball joint. Good Luck

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

If it was very far out of alignment to start with, the various steering components might have been operating under a bit of what you would call "preload", or steering bias that holds steering at one extreme or another and takes up steering slack - THEN, when alignment frees that condition up, and restores "neutral" steering, the slop in the steering you weren't aware of before surfaces and bites ya on the rear...

 

[TPotter]

Maybe so, it wasn't that I thought it needed an alignment at the time, but figured since I was buying tires I should have one. Is it possible its the tires? I bought them from Walmart, had a guy tell me that Walmart sold seconds. Maybe thats it.

 

[TboneMan]

Check the air pressue in the tires. The flunkies may have put 30 psi in them (like a passenger vehicle).



Also, is the tread design on the new Goodyears deeper/ more aggressive than those you replaced them with?



I have two sets of tires, OEM Michilins and BFG TA/KOs. I run the BFG's in the winter and they feel much different than the "touring" tread of the Michilins.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

The way I read your post, it appeared you installed new tires AFTER the alignment and looseness appeared - so sure, different tire design, more flexible sidewalls, can easily create the conditions you are experiencing as well... Happened to me once when I went from the OEM Michelins to another brand... On mine, you could actually stand at the rear of the truck and shake it from side to side and see how much looser and flexible the new tire sidewalls were than the originals.

 

[TPotter]

I am running 85psi in the tires, I had the alignment done prior to getting the tires. All I know is it really sucks driving my truck now. LOL and really gotta watch having a beer or two.